A Century's Worth of Sin
by Merdeka
Summary: Artemis, Virgin Goddess of the Moon, and ten relationships. One hundred years, seems to pass by so easily when you're embracing what you have sworn off forever. 99 word drabbles of Artemis and her lovers.
1. Orion

These are all 99 word drabbles, inspired by something I've read before. All of these are going to be Artemis' romantic exploits with others. Trust me when I say there's going to be lots of incest. And I don't own Greek Mythology. Really, who do you think I am?

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**ARTEMIS AND ORION**

**eternity**

Artemis gently- not gently, gracefully- picked her way through the forest. There would be no turning back now, she knew, for she had sworn on her bow and mercurial silver-tipped arrows and her very essence of being that she would meet the fair hunter here each night. Son of Poseidon and grandson to the King of Crete, but those labels meant nothing.

Selene drew the chariot high up into the sky, the bright and luminous mother-of-pearl orb gleaming. Reaching their meeting place, she waited and watched the sky, saw her beloved in the stars.

It was a quiet night.

**blue**

Orion laughed, threading his fingers through the downy hair of the huntress. Artemis leaned back, smiling, invigorated by his touch. She leaned into his arms and chest, her supple body molding into the hard muscles beneath her.

The sun seemed too bright today, the sky too blue by comparison. But his eyes were rich sapphire, the sea in which he swam a gorgeous cobalt, his voice sweet azure. She fancied that she could taste the different shades of blues.

Of course, Orion told her she was being silly, and he would lean in to capture her lips in his.

**unheard**

Artemis simply smiled as he whispered his promises to her. She knew they were silent for all she would care, because she knew that they did not matter. He didn't need to grant her wishes, because her one hope was to remain with him, by his side, for all of eternity. Or maybe have him by her side. Either way, she wanted to stay with him for as long as she could.

Until he realized that his promises would drift in the wind with nobody to hear, she would pretend to listen. She knew how much he needed them.

**mysteries**

"Come hurry, my gem," he cried, great agility allowing him to easily vault over the broken log in his path. "It is close." The forest was silent except for the crunch and crackle of leaves underfoot.

"Of course, my hunter." She smiled, her bow steadily gripped in her hand. She quickly caught up to him, choosing to run by his side. "And why have you chosen to lead me into these woods, why have you stolen me away?"

"This is no isolation, Huntress Artemis," he replied with a luminous shining in his eyes. "This is an adventure."

"Of course."

**war**

Orion knew he was fighting a losing battle. The Immortals would never allow their Huntress in the Moon, their Artemis who had sworn a vow of chastity, to continue seeing him. Eventually, they would decide on what terrible fate would befall him, the son of the Sea God, corrupter and thief of innocence and virginity. His name would be spat on for generations to come. He would be scorned. But he loved her, and so he fought.

Artemis knew she had given up fighting. She had let herself surrender to his passions and charm what seemed like years ago.

**dream**

Artemis first sighted him quite a while ago. At the time, she hadn't given him a second glance. He was just another man, another of the brutal humans who boasted about slaying the creatures of Earth. She dismissed his presence without a thought. Weak vermin, a coward and shame to mankind.

She needed no sleep, but when the face of that man haunted her daylight dreams, she didn't know what this was. Morpheus was no help, and neither was Athena nor the Muses.

And through all this, Aphrodite and Prometheus- she could see the both of them- were laughing.

**redemption**

Orion glanced at his so loved goddess in helplessness, wondering what it was that he could do. There was nothing that he could do. He was already gone, spirit released to the underworld. He was granted a moment of respite, allowing him to stray to the upperworld, to steal a glance at Artemis once more.

He hoped that she would forgive herself. A face that beautiful should never have been made to shed tears, especially those of bitter sorrow.

A single sober look and he turned his back on the sad scene. There was nothing left for him there.

**nameless**

Artemis closed her eyes, wondering who she really was. She was twin sister of Apollo, she was the Goddess of the Wild, she was the Huntress, Goddess of the Moon... There was always something missing from that menagerie of colorful titles. Always something that she wasn't.

Long ago, she had learned to shrug it off. Now, the feeling was back full force as she gazed upon his blue eyes, gaze intense yet tender. However, it didn't bother her so much anymore.

As his tangy taste flooded her mouth, she added one more title to her collection: Lover of Orion.

**obsession**

He hungered for her, yearned to see her beauty and hear her primal song, her unwavering strength of heart. He longed to plunge deep inside her mind, see what no other man had seen before, feel what no other man had before, to take control over her. He wanted her love. He wanted to learn hidden and dark secrets, what no other man had ever heard before. He wanted _her_.

Somewhere, deep in the back of his mind, he knew this was unhealthy. And yet, he didn't care. Not anymore, anyway.

As long as she said it was okay.

**echo**

This was nothing compared to the hardships she had undergone in the past. She had seen many killed, she had seen more horrible deaths than his. Gore and blood were not unusual. She knew that she didn't weep.

There is a mortal saying: History repeats itself.

If she ever found herself in this situation again in the future, she still didn't think she would cry.

It wasn't as if she didn't grieve. She couldn't.

Why was she surprised when the salt licked at the edges of her mouth, bitterly sweet rivers running from her heart? Why did it hurt?


	2. Ares

**ARTEMIS AND ARES**

**red**

One would always associate him with red. The color of courage, nobility, and blood spilled in battle. Sacrifices paid in full, the price of combining the intelligence of man with their thirst for power and strength. They would always see the violence behind it, the pain in the color. It was all they would ever realize.

She knew better. Red was the color of passion, of a beating heart, the color they all associated with love. It was this tenderness that they couldn't see. But she didn't mind, not really. He was hers, after all. That's all that mattered.

**mute**

Neither of them spoke. There wasn't any need to, there wasn't anything they wanted to say, they were both too tired, the excuses were endless. Apollo and Aphrodite were beginning to grow suspicious, though on Aphrodite's part, it was more of a jealous stab to the heart, and with Apollo, it was a slightly unwelcome wave of nausea. However, neither of them pried, which was fine with them.

Ares brought his arms around the Moon Goddess and she smiled. What use were words when their bodies would paint a picture of love in the skies and in their hearts?

**messy**

Ares dropped his sword, letting it gently slide back into its sheath. There were no weapons that needed to be wielded at the moment. The battle was done. Bodies scattered the barren ground, dry and cracked ground greedily seizing the blood of those foolish enough to challenge him.

When he got home, back to his personal quarters in Olympus, Artemis was waiting for him. She fussed over the dried blood staining his clothes, the atrocious state of his hair, the dirt smeared on his body. He smiled as she bustled him into the bath.

Cleaning up would be fun.

**misconception**

Contrary to what everyone else thought, their relationship was not violent or rough. It was soft, simply whispered declarations of love, gentle touches and warm glances every now and then. They both found it enough; they were not needy, not clingy, didn't hold on to the belief that they needed each other that much.

But occasionally, Ares would punch and kick and claw at her and she would scream and stab and strike him on the head.

Both would ignore those moments, pretend that they never happened.

It wasn't true, after all. What was false could not have happened.

**cherry**

Artemis delicately bit the bright red fruit off its stem and then bit it in half, savoring the sweet and thick juices that exploded in her mouth. It tasted nothing like him, she decided. Ares was salty blood and tempered steel and sweat and fierceness, not something so dainty as a tiny, bright scarlet fruit.

However, they were both so beautifully rich, so vibrant and full of life contained within a thin shell that bulged and threatened to rip and tear at any moment. It was this spontaneity that appealed to her, Artemis though. She thrived on, needed danger.

**simplicity**

There is nothing complex in combat. It's all about who is the better, and who has more luck, and who wields the skills necessary for that situation.

There is nothing complex about hunting. Aim, run quicker than the quarry, keep your hands steady, and make sure that you don't forget where you are.

It should not have come as a surprise when Artemis and Ares first became attracted to each other. But there would always be some people who wouldn't understand.

They didn't mind; love was always simple. Or at least, attraction was. They weren't sure which it was.

**scar**

Artemis traced every one of his scars, which was to say, she drifted and glimmered at the edges of his waking mind, whispering sweet delicacies to him, soothing his mind to sleep. Ares, God of War, master of all forms of combat would never be injured by another.

She had previously thought his claustrophobia as something irritating, a weakness. Now, she knew it to be fear for being unable to protect his family, and the universally hated feeling of being useless.

She fluttered in his dreams and kissed it all better, like she always did.

He didn't like it.

**pale**

She looked absolutely riveting in the moonlight, he thought, watching her dance across the black stage of sky, her starry partners floating alongside her as the pearly jewels illuminated the night. Today, she was wearing a silky black scarf across her thin neck, half covering her gleaming necklace crafted by the skilled blacksmith and given life to by the sea foam spawn.

When her brother came to take over, he saw how washed out and transparent she looked against the brilliantly golden backdrop of the early morning sky. Silver and red were always her colors, he supposed.

Especially red.

**jealousy**

As she watched him fight, she couldn't help but feel some longing deep in her heart, telling her that she was never going to be as skilled as he, she would never be able to parry and slice and twirl in the wreckage and carnage of hellish battle as well as he did. She was no fighter; she was a weak and pathetic opponent who had lost before the battle even began.

As he watched her run through the forest, he couldn't help but envy her effortless freedom. He would always be tied to the pain of futile bloodshed.

**mirror**

They would never be able to be completely in synch. It was like looking at a reflection. Lift your right arm, and for a while, it looks like your reflection is doing the same but then you remember that your right arm is its left, and that you can never be together, be the same.

They weren't poetic, but if Apollo would have gifted them with one or two seconds of inspiration, they would have felt that their situation was rather similar to that. However, as it was, they decided to end it.

They thought it would be painless.


	3. Selene

Okay, no matter what the site says, all the drabbles are 99 words. Anyway, here goes. This is going to be the first of three lesbian pairings.

* * *

**ARTEMIS AND SELENE**

**sunrise**

The two women stood by the edge of the world, watching as the world rushed by in front of them. They didn't speak for a long time, not because they did not want to, but because they had nothing to say. Eventually, the one holding a bow in her left hand spoke up.

"I'm sorry for Apollo taking over."

The other woman waved her concerns away. "It isn't any problem. Helios was suffering from exhaustion as it was, trying to keep Hyperion in check. He welcomed the rest, doesn't regret it."

Artemis nodded. "I see."

Their silence was comfortable.

**mother**

Selene held the grieving woman in her arms, whispering words of comfort, not really trying to help. Artemis was strong. She would pull out on her own. Briefly, she wondered how Dionysus was faring with Apollo. The thought was quickly banished; she did not go prying into other people's business.

But Artemis' business was her business.

"Leto will be honored," she said. "She is intelligent, she is strong." Selene stared into the intense silver-grey eyes of her lover. "Just like you."

"No," the red-eyed huntress said. "She is gone."

"Optimism is the best cure.'

"It is a fool's dream."

**insanity**

She watched as the stars began to grow colder in the sky. It was just another cycle of night to morning, morning to night. It wasn't unusual. But there was something that wasn't right about this one.

"Selene," she whispered, knowing full well that the silver haired goddess could not hear her. But she didn't care. "I need you to smile. Smile for me, my love. We all want to see you smile."

But to no avail. The night remained frigid and cold, the dawn even more so.

"Selene..." All she could hear was the laughter, the dead shrieks.

**smoke**

The huntress dropped her weapons, searching everywhere.

Selene was gone.

She cried the kind of tears that come from a broken woman as she realized that Selene was now lost to her.

Selene was invisible, a dead spirit in the realm of the living soul.

Artemis sank down against a pillar, sobbing.

Selene watched as the other woman knocked down a torch blazing with green flames.

Artemis didn't care anymore.

Neither did Selene.

Olympus was burning and in the ashes of the great hall sat a single flickering ghost holding a weeping woman as black smoke destroyed their realities.

**drifting**

She flounders for the off switch, a bell she can ring that would pierce through the empty gloom and gauzy mist all around her. This is too dreamlike to be reality, too surreal. She is alone and all that she can see is her face laughing at her. It is gentle, soft, and so full of malice that makes her want to scream.

"dont laugh at me, help me artemis, help, help me, help help..."

The huntress cannot hear her, and she floats alone in all her ruined glory, a shadow of the past and the nameless, nonexistent future.

**phantoms**

Sometimes, when Artemis is alone, she can feel the ghostly touches on her body, feathery fingers running up and down her sides and her face and gently coaxing her hands to the endless abysses of her heart and mind and body and soul.

She sometimes thinks that she can hear Selene's voice, if the night is quiet enough and if the ringing of the funeral bells will stop.

Hades doesn't quite know how to tell her that Selene is faded, merely a specter blindly wandering through eternity with nothing else to stay for; he's certain that she would cry.

**water**

It is her fluid movements that first capture the moon girl's attention. She moves like liquid silver as she prances through the forests, her wild dogs trailing behind, eyes tracking elusive prey. She moves like a river current lapping around smooth stones, flowing over herself and into the ground. It is graceful, beautiful, poetry in motion.

Selene figures she's lucky to have Artemis. Artemis just thinks that they would have found each other anyway. She says fate moves like a river, always flowing towards a common and universal end.

Selene tells her she's thinking too much and kisses her.

**nightmares**

When Artemis was much younger, her mind not fully developed, she used to sleep and dream, just like any other child. Only her dreams were not normal. They were filled with visions of blood and pearls and silver tipped with poisonous glimmers in the moonlight, and all of it was surrounded by a hazy mist. She knew Apollo would never understand, though he would try to. She appreciated the sentiment, but it never helped.

Only when Selene faded did Artemis realize what her childhood dreams were telling her.

She asked Morpheus to let her rest that night. He obliged.

**riddle**

They had always pondered how there could be more than one moon at once. There was just one chariot, one vehicle riding in ethereal flames, so how could the humans think that their nighttime skies were set alight by more than one pale orb?

Athena had told them that it was because of their spirits, so intertwined with each other that even the gods could not tell them apart anymore. They had always dismissed that as ridiculous rumor.

Artemis only realized it was true when she went to rest, and would feel an important piece missing from inside her.

**apathy**

Apollo had always worried for his older sister. Despite all her strengths and power, she was fragile. Especially after Mother died. She slipped into a world of grief so deep that even he could not hope to pull her out from it. Only Selene could have saved her.

And now, with Selene's passing, she was destroying herself. Driving the moon chariot across the sky each night would be the one thing that would break her. Eventually, she would snap.

He'd be there for his sister when it happened. However, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

It frightened him.


End file.
